I worked at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory as an intern (less than a year)

Pros

I got a lot of experience testing electronics. I learned about the research industry. The work actually seemed important. I was able to apply skills I learned in school and got to learn a lot of new skills and use a lot of equipment that I would normally never even see.

Cons

I was either extremely busy or had no work to do for periods of a couple days. There are lots of meetings and conversations that you need security clearance to hear about. I know other interns who worked on projects without knowing what they were actually working on.

I have been working at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory full-time (more than a year)

Pros

There are a lot of smart people trying to make good contributions to national security. I have been involved in some really fun projects that have been implemented and made an improvement to the sponsors that we have worked with.

Cons

Management in some departments do not have a clear direction or good answers for their sponsors.